stopgap

noun

stop·​gap ˈstäp-ˌgap 

often attributive

: something that serves as a temporary expedient : makeshift

stopgap measures

Synonyms of stopgap

• substitute
• makeshift
• backup

Choose the Right Synonym for stopgap

resource, resort, expedient, shift, makeshift, stopgap mean something one turns to in the absence of the usual means or source of supply.

resource and resort apply to anything one falls back upon.

exhausted all of their resources

a last resort

expedient may apply to any device or contrivance used when the usual one is not at hand or not possible.

a flimsy expedient

shift implies a tentative or temporary imperfect expedient.

desperate shifts to stave off foreclosure

makeshift implies an inferior expedient adopted because of urgent need or allowed through indifference.

old equipment employed as a makeshift

stopgap applies to something used temporarily as an emergency measure.

a new law intended only as a stopgap

Examples of stopgap in a Sentence

The new law is intended only as a stopgap.

the coach we have now was only hired as a stopgap until someone with more experience is found

Recent Examples on the Web

Yesterday, major airlines asked Congress to pass the Republicans' stopgap funding plan as air traffic controllers continue to work without pay. —NPR, 31 Oct. 2025

Rollins said in a TV interview Tuesday that Senate Democrats have repeatedly rejected stopgap spending measures that could enable the government to reopen and prevent any disruption in the delivery of SNAP benefits. —State House News Service, Boston Herald, 29 Oct. 2025

The vice president reaffirmed Republicans’ strategy of trying to pick off a handful of Senate Democrats to vote for stopgap funding to reopen the government. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2025

That imminent expiration propelled Democrats to block a stopgap funding bill that didn’t revive the subsidies, shutting down the government. —Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 29 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1691, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for stopgap

• bandgap
• bitmap
• blackcap
• blackstrap
• bootstrap
• burlap
• claptrap
• entrap
• foolscap
• kidnap
• kneecap
• madcap

Kids Definition

stopgap

noun

stop·​gap ˈstäp-ˌgap 

: something that fills a gap : a temporary substitute